Glass sculpture

I have finally resolved how to finish the wire strands of my pieces. I think the idea not only makes the work complete, but leads on the the next level of choosing what to put on the ends.

This piece is from a white standard lightshade from a demolished house and the drops are from an old chandelier. The loveliest surprise is that the drops capture the image of the honeycomb pattern of the wire frame.

This piece is from a little blue plate Liz gave me, the drops are crystals from a chandelier again. So the reflect the colour.

Green glass plates, go in transparent, and come out this lovely opaque emerald, these pieces are so fragile as the glass between the wire is incredibly thin, so it doesn’t stay unbroken for me. I think the only way would be to place the piece in a glass container straight out of the kiln and handle carefully. I am trying to find how to stop the glass from continuing to flow, after I turned it off when I reach right shape. I think I will have to be strong and crash cool until about 600 degrees or less.

Blue vase recycled sculpture

I have been getting rather frustrated with the development of the latest series of sculpture, as I realised that I cannot do much to develop the shape, The last large piece I made was from a large blue presentation platter I found at the Don Bosco op shop in Sydney road. After I fired it over the woven wire frame I found that the sandblasted writing for the prize was still visible. I feel a bit funny about this as I hope that S  would not mind her prize being transformed  like this. I wonder did S discard it or did her family when she moved into a smaller place, its kinda sad. I tried to cut the wire back to the edges of the glass but the glass is to fragile or I’m to clumsy, the glass edges chipped, so I think the less intervention the better, I will have to decided before the piece is for how long the wire will, I am going to coil the wire underneath the piece so it is hidden I think. I like the wire but Liz says when the wire is missing, it make you wonder how the piece was made intriguing. I still like the larger piece thoughThis little piece was made from a round blue vase I found in the Salvo in Smith st Collingwood that I went to with Maria. I cut it in half, and this is the top half of the vase with the lip stretching to form the delicate stem. I tipped the frame in the kiln hoping with would created a tilted shape, however the glass ran downwards over the frame without coating the edges which is surprising. It makes her look that she’s half undressed. I will polish the frame with the dremel to show the beautiful pink that copper wire goes when heated in the kiln.

With the bottom half of the vase I tried something different I love the stem, how it drops through the larger hole and supports the frame, so I looked at multiplying my favorite feature, this one I wove the frame with larger holes, to see what wold happen, I love it and can’t wait to do another larger one tomorrow

The blue of the original glass is fainter as the glass stretches through the frame, because it isn’t as delicate I think the whole piece should be bigger. I will be spending the next 24 hours thinking of how I can join circles of wire within a circular border     mmmm

Crash cooled creations

I have been continuing experiments with trying to make a kiln formed vase, and I made a couple, they are perfect, the paint effects are divine and I am really happy with them. Here is one that has two layers one painted blue, one pink I love the effect.

But the next time I made one, I made the original circle smaller and it fell right though the ring

Actually I had quite a few fall through which was a bit discouraging. So I slowed the temp rise down to 100 degrees/hour, and watched them through the peep hole in the kiln as the temp rose from 700 degrees up. This one is rather daliesque, and I keep feeling if I have to catch it as it falls off the table. I am always fascinated how glass creates such organic shapes it you let it free form.

Next try….

As I was watching, I saw the glass slide off the ring on one side, so I crash cooled the kiln, as I wanted to keep the shape it made as it slid off the ring. The colours are really vibrant. as I have used a paint called antique red which has gold in it.

I realised that if I crash cooled the kiln I could keep the shape of the piece just after it fell, but before it collapsed further.

So now I have something completely different to explore, as I love the moment when I watch the glass slide through the ring and fall to the bottom of the kiln. Its at that moment that you have to open the kiln and let the cooler air halt the heating process and fix the piece into that serendipitous form. Every shape is  different, here are some more…

Now I have the perfect work to put in the Heater show at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery in July. The show came about as the gallery is freezing in winter, and the curator started thinking about how artists would convey their ideas about heat. Well this is mine, it’s that magic moment when things start to transform from one shape to another. Especially how the original shape starts as ordered and simple and the heat always reshapes it into organic one, that seems to be captured in time.

Waiting for Glass paint to dry

Waiting for paint to dry!!!

I’ve started this page, as something to do while I’m waiting…waiting…waitin’ waiting for paint to dry, the kiln to get to 770 degrees, all the intermissions between the beginning of making a piece and gazing at the finished masterpiece. Of course I could vacuum the floor or weed the garden, but they are going to get done anyway so don’t count.

I am firing some drop through vases today, I had always wanted to make something like this ever since seeing Dominic (?) pieces at Eagles Nest Gallery. So I started experimenting as I am stuck at home and cannot work on the recycled bottle ideas until I the gas bottle filled (I’ll explain later). I have small pieces of sheet glass around as I never throw anything out. So these are my first pieces

I knew I had to watch the kiln and wait to turn it off once the glass dropped through the mold, but I didn’t know then that I have to crash cool the kiln. I turned it off and left it. As you can see the continuing heat made the glass continue to fall, but it is a great whirlpool look, but the stems are so slender that the other two could not support their own weight. I used onglaze paint in between to circles of float glass, The paint effects are a lovely surprise, as the glass stretches the glass only holds the faintest tinge of color.

The white one was 5mm float, painted on one side only, this has a beautiful spiral effect, but it is quite rough and the edges are not rounded as it is not hot enough I fired to 770 degrees. The purple one was placed on fluted bullseye mold and the glass has lovely rippled effect, I am interested in following this idea, in a sculptural sense as it looks the most organic. I did three layers of paint green, white and blue on the smaller one and the melding of the colours is very harmonious, It held together as it had smaller fall to the kiln floor

I have to go and put the new pieces in the kiln now, the paint should be dry by now (I hope)